Re: [fsf-community-team] Terminology. GNU/Linux

[Simon Bridge]

On Mon, 2009-12-14 at 15:21 -0300, Marcel Ribeiro Dantas
http://ribeirodantas.com.br/marcel wrote:
> Hi John,
> 
> Pirate Bay and stuff you quoted are not the right way to get into the
> GNU spirit. As the first message in this list said, you should read
> some articles at gnu dot com to comprehend the spirit of it.
> 
> I don't believe FSF or GNU Project support any way of piracy. I
> believe our goal is to avoid copyright laws which remove your freedom
> to do what is basic for anyone, like access to acquire knowledge.
> 

It is a FSF core ideal that information should be free.
The Essay: Copyright vs Community in the age of the computer network
spells out the position with regard to copyright as well as providing a
brief rundown on what makes software "free".

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/copyright-versus-community.html

There is also a more general overview of the threats inherent in the
digital world today:
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/digital-inclusion-in-freedom.html

We prefer to avoid the word "pirate" when we are talking about sharing
digital works over a network because it equates copyright infringement
with stealing ships. Curiously, early uses of the word in this way
actually referred to publishers taking advantage of authors.
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html
(It would be useful if each entry in that document had its own id anchor
so I could send people to the exact word instead of making them search
through it.)

However, there are social movements (evidenced by Pirate Bay, and
various Pirate Parties, and a book "The Pirates Dilemma" for eg) which
seek to claim the word Pirate to a positive or empowering use. Much like
computer enthusiasts have with the word "geek".

It is not a good idea to "avoid" laws of any kind: I hope you are not
advocating illegal activity. FSF uses copyright law to help keep
software free. A no-copyright society would actually be detrimental to
free software as we know it because it would allow unscrupulous
companies to remove our work from the public domain (as trade secrets).
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/pirate-party.html

> So if Free Software is what you want, GNU Project website is the place
> you should read and spend sometime to enhance your abilities arguing
> about it :)

Certainly gnu philosophy is a good place to start.
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/

I find I have to keep going back over it - it's too easy to drift and
lose touch.